Recognising the importance of maximising harvester hectares and minimising crop loss for producers especially during a bumper season, John Deere has released its HDR draper platforms with rigid cutterbars that have been designed for greater grain capture.
John Deere said the new HDR Rigid Cutterbar Drapers are ideal for small grains, canola and pulse growers and are compatible with its S and T combine series as well as its latest addition - the X series.
The header has a new hinged frame and hydraulic suspension that help it follow ground contours more closely to harvest as much crop as possible.
Position control gauge wheels on the HDR headers help to ensure consistent cutting across the field no matter the terrain and achieve consistent stubble height, which aids seeding performance in no-till applications.
The range topping HD50R has a width of 15.2m (50ft) and a wing range of +/- 58.2cm for unmatched terrain-following capability, John Deere said.
Consistent distance between the reel fingers and cutterbar, improved reel range and increased reel-drive motor torque all contribute to the effectiveness of the HDR series, Deere added.
Customers can opt for John Deere Grain Saver Draper Belts on their headers to help reduce canola cutterbar loss by up to 25 per cent when compared to traditional, smooth draper belt, the company said.
The new drapers come with a header control unit (HCU) that communicates seamlessly with the combine. The HCU saves head-specific factory calibration settings and collects and sends header-width information to the combine for accurate yield mapping, and detects and reports header-specific diagnostic codes, plus tracks hours of use and maintenance intervals.
HDR Drapers are available in 10.7m (35ft), 12.2m (40ft), 13.7m (45ft) and 15.2m (50ft) cutting widths.
The HD50R and the rest of the HDR headers can be ordered now with delivery expected to be in mid-2022.
In addition to the HDR range, John Deere has also released several other combine headers for a range of crops and applications including RDF HydraFlex Drapers, BP15 Belt Pickup and new corn heads.